Brown's defrocking came while he was in prison for a separate child sex abuse conviction in the state of Maryland.

Brown had not been involved in active ministry since 1988 at the time, the Savannah diocese says.

The Diocese of Savannah paid $4.5 million in 2016 to settle a lawsuit filed against Brown over more allegations he sexually abused a 13-year-old boy in Jasper County in the late 1980s, the Island Packet reports.

*Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Brown pleaded guilty to six of the nine charges against him. Prosecutors have clarified Brown pleaded guilty to all nine charges. The story has been changed to reflect the accurate information.